How Do You Really Know Someone?
by 4701rose
Summary: Sawatari Goro had a secret that could lead to misery. Sawada Shin had a secret that could make everyone he loved hate him. When the secrets are revealed, a pact is formed, and both men will have to learn trust. Along the way, love blooms. M/M YAOI Major OOC SHOUNEN'AI [Hiatus]
1. A New Beginning

**Hi y'all! I have two forums up, by the names, "Tsuki Valley," and, "Season 4: Shiragiku." PLEZ CHECK THEM OUT!**

**Besides that, I would like to give a shout-out to my peer ministry group; they got me inspired to write! And frankly, I always thought Goro-san needed some love. . .**

**GORO X SHIN!**

* * *

Sawatari sighed, and rubbed his face. It was late, far later than what he was used to staying up till, but he needed to get this **done** already. The list for students with the requirements for a scholarship was unusually long, and thus Goro had not set aside the amount of time needed to fill out all of the forums, causing him to scrabble for free time, and this was just one of several late-nights that had occurred over the month or so. Goro rubbed his face again, irritated.

Thirty more applicants, the raven thought determinedly, posing his pen for action. And almost immediately, the middle-aged asian deflated.

Who was he kidding? Sawatari shook his head, deciding to be done for the moment. Maybe he could get a drink, wake up a bit. And he was definitely getting this stupid make-up off his face, Goro thought determinedly. Who in their right mind would be in the school at this time?

Ignoring the zing coming from his chest, Goro pushed away from his desk, and headed towards the boy's bathroom, loosening his tie as he went. Really, who invented these things? They were good for nothing but choking on, the bespeckled asian thought wryly, removing his glasses and running a hand through his hair. Goro didn't actually need glasses; they were just there partly out of habit, and partly to prevent people from mobbing him.

Goro sighed, dejected, remembering the days in his youth when he used to have absolute hoards of fans chasing him positively **everywhere**, and Sawatari Goro wished those kinds of days upon no one. He shuddered, revisiting one of the more grotesque days, when one particularly adventurous fan had sneaked into his shower, and had discovered his disguise. She still lived with him to this day, poising as his wife, and threatening to tell his superiors that Sawatari was much better looking than most thought. And that was worse than any mile-long sprint from crazy fangirls, Goro had agreed. Just remembering some of his more perverted sensei and sempai gave Goro the chills.

But now Goro had come to the boy's bathroom, and in he went, anticipating the wash he could give his face and hair. Goro turned the facet on, and stuck his head under the steady stream, sighing in content as the gel that held his hair aloft gradually dispersed. Goro ran his hands through a few times, trying to get it back to its usual soft- and straight-ness.

When he was done, Sawatari turned off the water, before reached under counter and grabbed one of the staff towels, and starting to wash his face of the tan muck Sachiko _insisted_ he paste onto his face. For all her pressure to tell people who he was, she was extremely protective of him. Goro sighed. He really didn't know what to make of Sachiko. When he had first met her, she had to threaten him with blackmail to get him to go out and to his work, and somehow over the years that you-hit-me-I-hate-you relationship had shifted into an easy friendship. Granted, Sachiko was still extremely pushy, but she vied less and less for the other to out himself, and even let him work on his dream job! Goro had never been happier when Sachiko agreed to let him work as a teacher. He had been so excited, he forgot his make-up!

Goro shuddered. He has resigned the next day, and still felt extremely resentful of teachers and students in general. But, this was what he did, so he did it. He was still a teacher, either way.

He resented Sachiko much more for deciding to surprise him with a wedding that he had neither agreed to nor wanted. Kami, he had been immortally embarrassed when his mother asked him if had a baby on the way. With that witch?!

Goro huffed at his "wife's" antics, and starting removing his fake teeth. It was an extremely painful process, having been glued on with a temporary glue, a ritual Goro went through every night. And then repeated in the morning.

In the silence that followed, Sawatari could hear a slight drip coming from behind him. He glanced around. Was something leaking? He hoped not. Bills were bad enough!

Leaving the towel on the countertop, Goro started going through all of the stalls, looking for the mysterious drip. He was getting worried now, a sinking feeling in his gut making his soft footfalls sound like landslides. Finally, in the last stall, Goro found the drip.

He couldn't help it. He gasped.

Before him was a scene he wouldn't have guessed at in a million years, one that, if it had been suggested, would've been laughed at. Now, however, it was the truth. And a bloody truth at that. Goro swallowed.

Sawada Shin was a wrist-cutter.

Sawada's wrists had been cut badly, and were still bleeding slightly, but what hit Sawatari most was the blood in the toilet.

There was enough there to knock out a grown man! Let alone a teenage boy! Goro swallowed again. And then he saw red. Not the body liquid kind of red, but the angry kind. No way was Sawada going to die on his watch!

Quickly, Goro retreated to the counter, grabbing the first aid kit above the sink, along with his phone. Returning to the now-open stall, Goro gently pulled Sawada from the toilet to the floor, and hurriedly began to stanch the bleeding. He may not know much, but he did know the boy before him couldn't lose that much more blood. Goro glanced at the toilet bowl. Or any at all, he decided.

When the bandages had been secured, tightened, and tied, Goro wiped his hands on his pants, and hastily started to called Sachiko. She would know what to do.

"Moshi moshi. How may I help you, Goro-chan?~" Sachiko drawled, and Goro answered sharply, not at all in the mood for games.

"Sachiko. Hi. I need you to come to the school." He glanced at the unconscious teen, "I have an injured student, and I've just stopped the bleeding, but I don't know what more to do." A pause, Sachiko must've been trying to take in this influx of information, and Goro couldn't help but feel a surge of irritation. He needed Sachiko's aid, not her brainless moments, goddamit! He glanced at Sawada, and felt a stab of worry. Sawada should've at least groaned at some point in the last few moments! What had he been thinking?!

"Alright. Be there in a few." The transition from pushy ditz to responsible strongwoman made Goro blink, but he welcomed it all the same. He needed Powerful Sachiko right now.

Goro didn't reply, everything that needed to be said had been said, and he hung up. Sachiko knew the way. Sawatari turned towards his patient.

"How did it get like this?" Goro sighed, exasperated beyond belief. He had no bad blood towards Sawada, if anything, he had a lot of respect for the young man, who had almost complete control over such a rambunctious class! But, Sachiko said he had to be mean. . .

Feeling the cold claws of depression on his heels, Goro drew his knees up, his back hitting the plastic wall, just like he used to sit when he was a child, and accidentally hit one of his fake teeth.

Wincing, Goro wondered if he had time to remove the pesky wedge, before Sachiko arrived and before Sawada awoke.

He glanced at the boy. He was dead to the world. Frowning slightly, but figuring he'd most likely stay that way for a while, Goro dashed to the counter, and good thing too, because if he hadn't been so close to the door, he probably would've missed Sachiko's shout of,

"WHERE ARE YOU SAWATARI GORO AND HIS YOUNG AND HOPEFULLY PURE PATIENT?!"

Sawatari wanted to bash his head on the wall. So he did.

Turning to the door, he shouted back, "WE'RE IN THE BOY'S BATHROOM, FIRST FLOOR! AND I RESENT THAT!" He was still fuming slightly when Sachiko came, smirking silently. She just liked how mad she made him.

But the smirk disappeared when the younger grabbed her arm, seemingly with great worry, and brought her before Sawada.

She hadn't seen so much blood since her nursing days! Which reminds me, Sachiko mused, I really need to talk to Kiyoshi-kun about Fumiko-chan. . .

Sensing Sachiko's thoughts going in another direction, Goro hit her. Hard.

Sachiko pouted, but didn't say anything. She probably deserved that. Taking off her glasses and her coat, the brunette quickly got to work.

Goro watched as Sachiko's hands flew, taking a blood sample from the toilet, checking for signs of life, and finally calling a man to bring over a spare blood hanger and two pints of O negative. He marveled at the change. When Sachiko had once forced him to take her to a movie, she had prattled on and on about wanting to be a doctor, a dream he had scoffed at. An hour later, and Goro had his foot in his mouth, shocked speechless when his (debatable) date saved a toddler first from drowning, and then from nearly having a panic attack afterwards. He promised then and there to always support her dream.

Sachiko ruined the moment by asking me if that meant I live with forever, Goro thought sourly, severely displeased. Sachiko raised her eyebrow at the purple hate waves, but didn't say anything.

Instead, she sat back on her heels, worried. Seeing her troubled look, Goro gave her a sparse glance, to which she huffed at, inwardly smiling. Goro may act indifferent, but he was a big softie on the inside, she thought, a smirk quirking at her lips. In fact, he was perfect for Sawada. Sachiko's eyes widened. That's it.

Chills were doing the tango on Goro's spine, and he had a feeling it had something to do with his supposedly (and terrifying) wife, whose face looked like it was about to split with the smile that was stretched across it. If there was a cat that got the canary, Goro thought warily, there he is.

His theory was proven when Sachiko turned that frightful smile towards him, and said, "I do believe I have a new house patient."

It took Goro a moment to get her hint. Everything went downhill from there.

* * *

Shin woke to the sound of yelling. He was groggy, and the world spun quite enough, thank you, so the pallid boy stayed down, trying to remember what had happened last, where he was, and who the bloody hell was clamoring over his head. Let's see, he had found the school's back door unlocked, and since he didn't want his landlord to find his blood, he had crept into the boy's bathroom. . .

Aha! He was in the boy's bathroom! Shin smiled internally, proud of himself. So, what happened after that? He wondered. He remembered cutting more deeply than before. . . things had been so hectic lately, what with the new teacher causing all sorts of problems and changes, the latest being a trip to the Sawada household, where, according to Natsume, Yankumi had actually **cussed** at Senator Sawada, in order to get him out of jail. Shin could feel the guilt and regret for being such a burden swirling in the pit of his stomach, and his fingers itched to scratch and make bleed.

But for now, it was all under control. Sawada Shin was still living. Sawada Shin was still functional. For now. Speaking of which, who saved him?

"I will not! I will not, Sachiko, under any circumstances, have him in our home!"

Shin's heart sank. Sawatari. The crazy git would have him kicked out in no time flat! And tell class 3-D how disgusting their leader was in the process, Yankumi included. Shin felt sick. Er, sicker.

"Is it because you're afraid of him?!" The voice cut through Shin's thoughts faster than a sled down an icy hill. Who was afraid of who? Sarutari? Afraid of **Shin**? Like that'd happen. Saru was constantly put him in his place, and seemed to be the only one who saw through to his odious self, despite the barriers, Shin thought glumly.

'Saru' had not replied. Was he scared? Hell yes! The one guy who hated his guts most in the entire school, in his house?! Nuh-uh, no-way hosei! But, Goro glanced down at the rather lackluster teen, what was a little risk? Sawada just had his biggest secret revealed. It would be unfair to leave him in the hands of the professionals; they would ask how the blood loss had happened, and that would just be plain cruel. On the other hand, Sawatari's secret. . .**  
**

Sensing a weakness, Sachiko pressed her advantage. "Goro, I know it's your secret you're worried about," Sarutari had a secret? Oh dear, Shin thought.

"But can you really push away someone who needs you right now?"

Silence reigned. Shin was waiting for the answer he just knew was on his foe's forked tongue, and nearly gave the game away when the answer was the opposite.

"Alright," Goro sighed. He could feel the headache coming on.

Sawada Shin was officially living in the Sawatari household.

* * *

**Btw, the cover picture is the actor who plays Sawatari when he was young. In this story, Sachiko is 30, Goro is 26, and Yankumi is 23.**

**What do you guys think?! I'm gonna update, but it might take awhile, 'cause tomorrow I get see my best buds in all the universes!**

**Anyway, please review, tell me what I can do better, and visit my profile page!**


	2. And One Thing Lead To Another

**Hi! This is kind of short, but I needed to get SOMETHING out. I'm on Spring Break right now, but I go back to school on 4/7/14.**

**I forgot this on my last two stories, but I'll do it now, and it's on my profile (which almost none of my very nice visitors have gone to);**

**I DON"T OWN GOKUSEN!**

**If I did, we'd be swimming in yaoi.**

* * *

An awkward silence that seemed determined to stay permeated the air. Nothing was said as Sawatari quietly made dinner, and Shin quietly watched. Earlier, Shin had pretended to wake up in the guest room down the hall to the right, and Sarutari's wife had quickly left, babbling about a friend and a porcupine, a story Shin did not quite follow. Sarutari had been cooking when his loud wife left, and hadn't faced his guest once in the entire evening. Idly, Shin wondered what was wrong with the sour-faced monkey.

Sarutari tensed. Shin blinked. Did I just say that out loud? He mused.

Apparently he had. Sarutari said nothing.

When the food was done, Sarutari plated it without looking at his young companion, and slide the plate the same way. He still wasn't looking at Shin when the boy softly murmured, "Itadakimasu," and started on the food. It was rice omelet with pan-cooked vegetables. One of Shin's favorite's (A/N: I don't know, I just wanted a bit more. . . mystery to Goro. And it's a conversation starter!).

Shin's eyes never left the side of Sarutari's head, and he was gradually getting annoyed with the semblant lack of attention.

"Hey." Shin paused, confused. What did he say? Sarutari twitched, but that was about it, Sawada pondered, and I can't get his attention like that. Time for extreme measures!

"Thanks for the food. It was good." No good. Sarutari jumped a little, and blinked rapidly, but the hoodie really was in the way, Shin decided. And he was really wanted to see what the Sarutari-sama looked like without a tie or suit on. Shin eyed the black hoodie and pale blue jeans appreciatively; without the big clothes obscuring his view, he could see that Sarutari really did have a great body for an old man. Now, if only he could fix his face. . .

Goro tensed at the suggestive look at his person, and cursed inwardly. Why do I have to endure this?~ He whined internally, severely displeased.

Because you have a heart softer than a newborn babe's skin, a voice answered, sounding (terrifyingly) like Sachiko, and boy was this voice smug!

Goro mentally pouted. I do not! He thought back, and wondered briefly if he could plead temporary insanity.

Not likely, Conscience Sachiko replied. Although I do admit, you mostly likely wouldn't have done this much if it was anyone other than Sawada.

What do you mean? Goro was confused. Only for Sawada? What did that mean? Unconsciously, Sawatari's eyebrows furrowed, a natural reaction to a situation as confusing as this.

I mean, you big pain in the arse, that you and Sawada have a bond a lot stronger and more different than any of your other students, or even any of your co-workers. You call it respect, the voice continued, I call it a crush.

Ehhhhh?! Goro blushed brighter than a lightning rod in a hurricane, all mentally of course. Goro had long since learned to keep his blushes mental; it tended to keep the hounds away. Wait a sec, Goro paused, if I'm blushing, does that mean. . . it's true?!

Now you're gettin' it, the voice said. If it had sounded smug before, it was well into southern territory by now, making Goro feel both retarded and extremely embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Shin was getting no where, and was both mildly amused and extremely displeased that Sarutari had become so wrapped up in his thoughts, he forgot his 'guest'. Shin decided to bring him back to reality.

Goro immediately snapped out of his internal freak out when his hood was removed, and his eyes widened when he saw Shin. Oh crap!

Silence.

And then, "I didn't know you were a girl."

Shocked, large eyes that were turning glassy were the last things Shin saw before pain erupted across his face, and he fell to a sleep he knew well. The unconscious kind.

* * *

**Okay, well, hope you enjoyed it. I might update again, but plez review!**

**Also, I met someone today who is also a yaoi fangirl. My sister glared at us when we were discussing High School Story and our pairings. . .**

**Sadness in vast quantities.**


	3. Were We Damned From The Beginning?

**I know, it's been a little bit since I updated, but I had a busy week! School was harsh; we had spirit week. And, since I forgot, I had to rush to make my costume on Thursday. It was really nice, actually, and people kept asking me why I had cat scratches on my eye. . . I WAS RED-HAIRED SHANKS YOU STUPID MORONS! **

**Yeah, my whole week was like that. . . Friday, my Geography teacher gave me hug when I remembered to grab my weekend homework, and that was just awkward. . .**

**I HAD AN EFFIN' 3 1/2 HOUR DANCE REHERSAL TODAY YOU SORRY ASSES! :'( ARGH!**

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Gokusen, or I would've put Kuma into a relationship with S****hin and Natsume would've never gone to that shady club. I REST MY CASE!**

* * *

When Sachiko entered the house, she knew almost immediately her plan to have the boys make nice had gone straight down the drain. Shin was laying on the living room couch, an ice-pack on his stomach and a dazed look on the teen's face. Goro was no where to be seen.

Shin's eyes shifted over to the naturally flamboyant female. Sachiko shivered. That was one nasty glare.

"You knew I would try to see his face." Shin accused, annoyed. As he should be, the accused thought, nervous.

Sachiko was seriously considering sprinting to her room and just ignoring the question. Shin tensed. Oops, better not. Didn't want to have another unexplainable bruise on somewhere awkward (A/N: For this story Sachiko is REALLY clumsy. For plot bunnies!).

"He punched me." Sachiko's eyes shot to the younger's. They were staring at the fireplace, refusing to meet her eyes, and also revealing a rather painful looking contusion. Punched him? The brunette's brow furrowed. Did she misunderstand the atmosphere between Goro and Shin? Goro only punched people when he was angry, which he was, judging by the continued silence and the nasty purple blob on Shin's tanned face. Irrationally, Sachiko felt a wave of fury and exasperation. The boy had lost almost a pint and a half of blood, barely surviving with her husband's help, and THEN Goro decides to match blows?!

Sachiko shook herself. Calm down, she thought, Goro always has a reason. Which would be. . .

Sachiko's eyes widened. ". . . You said something mean to him, didn't you?" Shin stiffened.

". . . Maybe." Sachiko wanted to slap herself. Or Shin. Or Goro. Possibly both. Yep, definitely both.

"Go apologize." Shin stared at her like she was crazy.

". . . Why?" This time, Sachiko really did slap herself, and afterwards Shin eyed her with ware. Wasn't this kid supposed to be a genius?

"For several reasons," Sachiko said stiffly, "Number one being that, seeing as you WILL be staying with us awhile, making an enemy so early on is NOT a safe move."

Shin motioned to interrupt, but Sachiko shut him up with a glare. "You WILL be staying here young man, whether you like it or not. I can't let something like what happened tonight happen again! You could DIE! Think about that!"

Shin's eyes drifted again, thoroughly chastened. What would his friends do if he died? What would Natsume? Yankumi had just told him to appreciate his friends. . .

Waves upon waves of regret and anguish rained down on him, and Sachiko softened at the penance she could clearly in the teen's eyes. Maybe that was a little harsh. . .

Shin looked up when Sachiko sat down on the couch. Sachiko, in turn, took off her glasses, and her gaze penetrated Shin quite like her husband's did. It made Shin feel uncomfortable.

"Shin." Shin glanced her. "Goro values your opinion," a snort, "I'm serious. He used to come home some days extremely depressed, skipping dinner to go sit in that there corner," a nod in the general direction of said corner made Shin's eyes follow, "And he never once complained about you. Ever. He respects you too much to even think about it."

With that one statement Shin's world turned on its head. Bloody hell, SAWATARI respected HIM?! HIM?! WHY?!

To Sachiko, Shin's confusion was obvious and she wondered if maybe. . . she overdid it, when she told Goro to be mean and scary. . .

Seeing guilt starting to creep into his enlightener's facial expression, Shin raised an eyebrow, question evident. What did Sachiko do?

It was the other's turn to turn away in shame. The eyebrow raised higher, its curiosity peaked.

Sachiko cleared her throat, wondering why she felt like a prisoner standing before a firing squad, preparing for immediate and swift death.

Probably because I am, Sachiko thought. She glanced at Shin. He was still staring her, still raising that damn brow like a flag in winter!

Sachiko cleared her throat again, before finally accepting her fate and moving on.

"When Goro first met you. . . he was ecstatic. He couldn't wait to teach and be friends with such a promising young man! He was very impressed to hear you decked a teacher. Especially one that was bullying a student. Goro doesn't agree with that kind of stuff. Goro was actually the only reason you got into Shirokin at all. He argued for days with his fellow staff members. In the end your principal made the decision. That's actually why Goro wants to be principal. So he can bring in the students he wants to, and no one will be able to question his judgment. . ." Sachiko didn't know eyes could get that large. She was half-expecting Shin's eyes to pop right out of their sockets.

"But. . . I was worried. What if you wouldn't keep his secret? There wasn't any evidence that you were trustworthy. . . so I told Goro to be harsh with you. You and your friends. That it would be. . . better that way." Shin's eyes flashed, and his lips thinned. Sachiko's shoulders slumped in defeat. He had the truth, and now he did what he wanted with it.

"Go."

It wasn't a request. Slowly, Sachiko go up and went to her room, falling onto the empty futon and into sleep quicker than a bumblebee on a scent. It had been an emotionally charged evening.

Shin lay on the couch for a while after that.

And the house was still.

* * *

**Sooooo, any good? 'Cause nobody's been doing anything 'cept viewing. . . REVIEWS ARE FUEL! PLEZ PLEZ REVIEW!**

**I might update again tomorrow, but don't expect much. Took my over 2 hours just to write this bit. I kept getting up and doing other things, like eating and watching Merlin.**


	4. Three Strikes - You're Out

**THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE!**

**Okay, so no one responded to my desperate pleas for reviews. My best friend (kindly) refused to work on the story with me. I have given up hope. I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN WOLLOW IN PITY FOR MOI!**

**Therefor, until I get at least 3 reviews on any of my works (in total, I'm that mean), this story will be discontinued. I realize the idea Shin is a wrist-cutter might be disgruntling, BUT I HAD TO START SOMEWHERE! Yankumi solves all his other problems! I wanted Goro to be the good guy in this. . . *cries***

**Until then, I'll be working on a Naruto story idea I had; OMC parents Naruto. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF LOOKING HIGH AND LOW FOR QUALITY STORIES! So, yeah I'm gonna write my own. It's an OMC because I think boys are better than girls; mind you not all of them, but girls can be a right pain in the donkey!**

**S.O.S.,**

**-4701rose**


	5. Sick Days - Everybody Has Them

**Okay, okay, I know, I said I wasn't gonna update anymore; I plead temporary insanity. Truth is, I really wanna be a beta, but you have to have 6,000 words published, and I'm too close to give up now! The second reason is, well, TODAY IS MY B-DAY! That's right folks, I am now one year older than I was yesterday! HAHAHAHAH! And no, I'm not giving my age away. But yeah, this is a birthday present to moi!**

* * *

And that was how Goro found Sawada the next morning. The older was admittedly very jumpy; it's not everyday one of your not-so-enigmatic haters discovers your worst secret. And the nerve to suggest Goro was a girl! Humph!

But that nerve was very admirable, Conscience Sachiko told Goro vaingloriously, and Goro wished quite frankly that she would just go away. Or, at the very least, shut up! It couldn't be healthy to blush this furiously!

A draft from the open window pulled Goro from his thoughts. He, of course, was fine, dressed in his work clothes for the day and wearing the dreaded make-up. Nasty, nasty little things (A/N: Gollum anyone? *laughs* Sorry, but my hands betrayed me!)!

Sawada was not as lucky. He shivered in the morning light, having no comforter to keep the himself warm, and Goro couldn't help but feel that he and Sachiko were more than a little clueless; save Sawada from one disaster, only to put the teen in another.

Sawada shuddered again, and Goro had a short but decisive battle over whether or not Goro should get Sawada something warm. Worry for the boy won out in the end, and Goro quickly grabbed one of his mother's old coverlets and practically threw it on his guest.

The trembling stopped, thankfully.

Concern for Sawada made Goro get right up close and personal, tucking in the decrepit comforter around the edges, thinking that one more absence wouldn't be unusually for Sawada, and wondering if maybe Goro should leave breakfast out.

Goro was standing up and heading towards the kitchen when he, quite painfully, might he add, remembered the bruise he left on Sawada's face. Goro winced. If Washio saw that, Sawada would definitely be called in for questioning.

Guilt riddled the older man; if Sawada was suspended, it would be all Goro's fault.

And another fear filled him; what if Sawada resented the assault? Granted, Goro couldn't imagine anyone not resenting another for punching him or her in the face, but what if Sawada decided . . . to unleash the hounds from hell?

Now, to an innocent bystander, that would appear as hyperbole, something to be scoffed at and chuckled over.

Sawatari Goro was not an innocent bystander.

He had been, in many cases, the victim of the hell's fury, and even more times the instigator. It really was terrifying how words could affect young men so, Goro marveled. After all, who knew better than he?

Sawada Shin was the only reason Shirokin was still standing, consequences be damned to the roaring toaster from whence class 3-D came . . .

You're pathetic, you know that? Conscience commented, yawning in Goro's mind, as neither form of the older woman were morning people. Goro pouted, he was _not_ a wimp!

Wait, hang on a sec, since when did Goro's head have cheerios and milkshakes served before a large TV?

Oh, about the time you got your, "special feeling," you know, about the yellow bag? Dang, you really swallowed that pill wrong! Conscience laughed. Goro did what all great leaders confronted with the truth have done before him.

He huffed, he puffed, and he walked away. Just like his mother said to!

Ignoring the mental (and quite frankly hysteric) laughter, the Head Teacher started pulling out pots and pans, salt and pepper, bowls and utensils. As he started to prepare the rice, Goro planned out his day.

Let's see, he would need to be at the school around six forty-five, which was about a half hour from now. Goro glanced out the window. Huh, it was pretty bright out considering.

Next, he would have the staff meeting, and as Head Teacher, it was Goro's job to make sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing! Maybe he could play some more mind-games on Yamaguchi-sensei . . .

Kami-sama, was that woman fun to tease! Goro chuckled. He knew about her background; how could the effeminate man ever even hope to be a decent principal and friend of the students, if he didn't check any new sensei for possible threats?!

Goro had been on guard for the first week, and kami had that woman irked him at the time! She was so **obvious**, how could no one notice?! Goro swore, heavily.

Thinking too hard can lead to repercussions, he thought irritably, sucking on his burnt tactile member. Really, he should this by now, shouldn't he?

The dark-haired man smirked; Shin, at the very least, had not been fooled! And no, he hadn't been stalking anybody, Goro just wanted to be ready with a cell in hand and stretcher within reach when the delinquents threw the scrawny teacher out.

But yakuza or no, Yankumi still had her pride, as well as her temper. Catching the baseball flying to hit her head was easily the most positive thing Yamaguchi could've done. She could've, if she felt like it, pulled a knife and declared war on and in her homeroom. Goro had no delusions on who would win, even if that meant his "crush," would've lost.

Delinquents they may be, and hellhounds most definitely, but when confronted with the real thing, class 3-D was very much out-classed.

With a jolt, Goro realized his eggs had already passed Go, collected $200, and were getting closer to inedible, so he quickly rolled them into a rather lackluster tamagoyaki, set the plate, and quickly freed the rice from its imprisonment. Kami knows what plans the rice would make for revenge.

Finished, Goro set the table for, hesitantly, three. He had just sat down to give thanks for the food and consume his (kinda) meal, when Sachiko stumbled in, bumping into walls, furniture, and almost flipped backwards over the couch. But at the last second, the sleepy hospital-worker caught herself, and, seeing Goro, wobbled into their kitchen to eat breakfast.

Goro chuckled lightly, and kept at his breakfast. Years ago, this side of his then-tormentor infuriated him; now Goro just found it cute, in the way pandas can sometimes be, if portrayed right, he supposed.

"So," Sachiko glanced at him, eyebrow quirked. She didn't have glasses on; no need to, it was her day off, and, as she often complained, she didn't get enough of those. Speaking of work, Goro glanced at the clock; it was almost time to go. And when had he stopped his daily planning?

Shaking off the feeling he was losing himself, bit by bit, Goro continued, "I'm leaving for work in bit, but I thought we'd leave Sawada here." Sachiko stared at him, uncomprehending this seemingly simple statement.

Goro tried again.

"Will Sawada be well in your care?" Sachiko blinked. And blinked again. Concerned, Goro made to get up from the island table.

And then Sachiko was gone, running for her room with a harried, "Can't!"

Bewildered, and temporarily forgetting their guest, Goro called back, "Why not?"

"Working in the mental sector today." Was all Sachiko said, as she ran around the room, devouring her meal, while at the same time, trying to grab all items of dress she may need on this unexpected journey. For Goro anyway.

"But it's your day - " And she was gone. Goro stared out the open door, watching Sachiko run as if the gods themselves were on her tail.

" - Off" One hand raised to catch only empty air now, Goro turned to eat his meal very, very slowly. Well, he thought, looks like today will be my one and only sick day.

Hopefully no dies, at school or at home, Conscience commented.

Hopefully, indeed.

* * *

**The only reason I haven't gotten started on my OMC fanfic for Naruto is because no one is doing the poll. SO, either review for another chapter, or check my profile so I can get on with my life! Capice?**


	6. Lies - When Do They End?

**Argh! I know, I said I would only update if I got enough reviews, but I've been in the car for almost ten hours total, and I needed something to do! Anyway, I worked on both this and my new story, "Parenting By The Book." My beloved older brother tried to review, but he forgot to press the button, so y'all right back at zero in terms of reviews! Yeah, the Wi-Fi's really wonky right now; we're driving back from a graduation party a state away, while, happily, our hotel was a state away from _that_. We did a heck of a lot driving.**

* * *

"WHAAAT?!" Goro winced, holding the phone at arm's length, quite certain his eardrums were bleeding. What else could that red stuff be? Jell-O?

Goro glanced over his shoulder, carefully guiding the phone back to his ear, and checking up on his ward. Yep, still asleep.

Goro was wondering just what exactly Sawada had done to sleep so late, before Washio started up again, sounding, to Goro, like the superhero he always looked up to wasn't there to save the day. And maybe he wasn't.

Goro didn't even wanna know.

"B-b-but - you _can't_ get sick! You're Kyoto-sensei!" Yep, metaphor hit the nail on the head. Now Goro was feeling a different kind of illness. The real kind.

"Washio-san, would mind letting me talk to our esteemed Kyoto-sensei?" The grandfatherly voice of kouchou-sensei eased itself into Goro's ears, soothing the pain of having a random bout of male screaming.

"How are you feeling?" Goro wanted to answer, 'fine', could feel it bubbling in his stomach, begging to come up, just like vomit, only, it was word vomit.

_Was_ he sick? Truly? It depended on who you asked.

"I am not feeling too well. My tummy has been in pain since I woke up, and food didn't seem to help. I didn't want to pass it on to anyone."

Technically true; lying always made Goro's guts fall into disarray. And he certainly didn't want Sawada's secret to spread!

Goro glanced over his shoulder. Yep, still lost in dreamland.

"I hope you feel better later, Sawatari-san." The line went dead, and Goro was left to feel sorry for himself. He really was pathetic, huh?

Not true, Conscience stated quietly. You're risking your job and spending your time caring for someone when nobody else will. Even your wife ran away.

Goro chuckled dryly. You know that's not true, Sachiko. If Sawada was so important to me, why would I hit him?

Sachiko was quiet for a moment. You're only human, Goro, she finally whispered. You have to vent somehow, and being rejected isn't something you deal with very often.

Not from the people you love.

Goro chuckled again, this time wryly. He really screwed things up, huh?

Outside, thunder rumbled, and pedestrians searched frantically for shelter. Some of the smarter ones had umbrellas, but they ran too, worried about being late to their destinations. The gray clouds split with a groan, protesting the early morning, and the rain began to fall. Some reveled in it, happy for the cleansing it would bring. Others looked at it with disgust, wishing it would go away, that it wasn't a necessary part of life.

But most, most ran through, trying to ignore it, fighting the screaming wind and freezing rain, clawing forward, to be anywhere but here. Here, there was misery. Here, was something brought forth memories of people long gone or soon to pass. Here, was a symphony of human nature.

It was raining inside too.

Goro sniffed. Damn his foolish heart.

Sachiko was silent.

* * *

It was late that afternoon when Shin finally woke. He awoke groggily, taking in his surroundings, and then considering passing right back out again.

"I see you're finally up." Shin started, and looked over to his left. There, on the large green armchair, fingers glued together and hair a mess, was Sarutari. The Head Teacher was putting the finishing touches on, what looked like, a scrapbook.

Shin was wondering how best to react to this situation, when he noticed something.

He groaned. "You're not looking at me, again." The young leader sighed.

Saru huffed a laugh, shaking his head, seemingly, at Shin's stupidity. Or was it his own?

"Food's in the fridge with your name on it."

Shin blinked. Now that he thought about it, he was rather famished. And thus Shin left Saru's company in favor of nutrition.

Shin had set up the food in the kitchen, but just as he was about to dig in, he spared a glance over at where Goro was.

And suddenly, Shin just couldn't hate Sawatari anymore. And had he ever really hated the man? If what Sawatari-san was true, their whole relationship thus far had been a farce. And this was Shin's chance to make things right.

Not mention Sawatari could ruin Shin's whole life it he so wished so, Shin thought wryly. But was a little danger?

* * *

Goro was putting the finishing touches on this week's pictures, when Shin sat right back down on the couch. The older man blinked rapidly. Well, it seemed Sawada did not resent his tormentor, Goro thought wryly, and went back to his scrapbook.

It was dedicated to class D of Shirokin.

Goro had been constantly confiscating photos from Noda and his predecessor, Bando, for years now. But leaving the pictures in the offices was bad for both his reputation and for the boys' education; they would always try to steal them back. Trouble was, neither boy was very good at sneaking, and they almost always got caught, which led to the usual consequences. It wasn't pretty.

So, to solve the problem, Goro started taking the confiscated visuals home. But then Sachiko began to look at him funny, so Goro created his scrapbook, during Bando's third year. But the only pics that were confiscated were the graphic ones, so Goro went to Shirakawa-san and put an idea to the principal. Shirakawa agreed.

With permission from the kouchou-sensei, Goro was able to hire two boys from each class to take pictures. The wages came out of his pocket, but Goro was fine with that. He currently had five years worth of pictures, and nine total books. But they were very, very secret. No one besides Goro, Shirakawa-san, and the boys taking the pictures, had any inkling of what he was doing.

"What's that?" Goro nearly had a heart attack right then and there. He had complete forgotten about Sawada!

* * *

Shin, for his part, was watching, at the height of amusement, as Sawatari visibly jolted, spluttering and almost spilling the glue in his surprise. Speaking of which . . .

Pushing aside the cooling plate and chopsticks, Shin stretched out to grab the pictures that were about to fall, just as Sawatari grabbed the glue with one hand, whilst reaching for the fluttering pictures with the other.

Their hands met in the middle, a jumbled mesh of warm fingers and pale skin. The picture was facing up.

And in this picture, Sawada Shin walked towards his friends and smiling sensei, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, young man was standing in front of the police station, and his father was glancing around his car from the background. It really was a good shot.

"How did you get this?" Even to his own ears, Shin's voice sounded . . . scratchy, but he had to know.

What was Sawatari doing with a picture from his life?

* * *

Crap. Even Sachiko didn't really know what to say. La di la, you're walking around, you're doing your thing, minding your own business, and then suddenly _everything_ freaking falls to pieces! Goro could feel a headache coming on. This was just _one_ of the reasons he did _not_ want Sawada in his house!

Too late, Sachiko mumbled, we're screwed. Try to think of something that your precious student won't either immediately see through or be offended by!

Oh, like that's so easy! Goro shot back, and risked a glance at Sawada. Darn it, why wouldn't the kid look away!

Scrambling for words, Goro mouth became a factory of unintelligent and un-understandable half-syllables, and dammit Goro thought he had the mental blushing _down_ but apparently not, oh kami, Sawada please just don't mad -

"Stop." Goro paused in his word spew, mouth open and not breathing. He almost stopped thinking, for pete's sake!

"Close your mouth." Goro's mouth clasped shut, and he looked down. The older could hear Sawada sighing, but quite frankly he didn't care. Sawada was scary, goddamit!

"Breathe."

* * *

While it initially startled and amazed Shin with the amount of garble coming out of Sawatari's mouth, he quickly realized he wasn't going to get answers if Sawatari did not. Slow. Down. And breathe. Yes, and breathe. Breathing was good.

When he was certain Sawatari was getting air and out of his lungs regularly, Shin issued his next order.

"Explain." To his mild surprise, Sawatari seemed to hesitate, before shaking his head, no, he would not answer. Well. That was strange.

* * *

"Why not?"

Sachiko and Goro were having a severe argument over said man's previous response to his student's command, and Goro, without thinking, answered,

"You would hate me."

Wasn't that a bit discouraging? Sachiko snapped out. Goro, who had been shocked by his lack of oral control, snapped right back, that was the whole point!

I _like_ Sawada, okay? Goro continued, and you're the one who _helped_ me realize this, in fact, just now you were _sympathizing_ with me about being rejected, and now you want me to risk that feeling again?! I think I've been hurt enough, thank you very much!

Maybe so, but I will _not_ let you sit here, lips sealed, when there's a chance your "_love"_ won't hate you for it at all! Who knows what goes on in that head of his! Sachiko screamed, and Goro was stopped cold.

Sawada . . . might not hate . . . me? Goro questioned. Where had that come from? The older usually wasn't half as hesitant about getting to know someone. Or them hating Goro.

_Yes!_ Sachiko hissed at this _ridiculous_ man. Now, you sit up tall, straighten your back, _look Sawada in the goddamn eyes,_ and tell him about your graduation idea!

Goro looked up, unconsciously doing as told, and looked into Sawada's eyes.

Kami, the older could stare for hours at those eyes, because no matter how nonchalant the teen may act, Goro could see everything in those smouldering coals.

Damn Sawada and his puppy eyes.

* * *

**I finished the editing quite a while ago, now I just have to wait a few hours, until we get home, for me to update.**

**This is getting really redundant, but REVIEW! I have not gotten a single review in the entirety of my FF career, and this is my second year on this website!**


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